South Africa strikes get uglier

South African union leaders have threatened to call a nationwide strike across all sectors of the economy in support of public workers, whose pay dispute is in its tenth day.

“Everything will come to a standstill,” said Zwelinzima Vavi, head of the main union federation, Cosatu.

Some one million civil servants are already on strike but Cosatu’s total affiliated membership is double that.

Mr Vavi said work would also halt in the key mining and manufacturing industries, while unions representing the police and the military have already said they will join in the stoppage.

Cosatu is officially an ally of the governing African National Congress but Mr Vavi warned that their alliance was now “dysfunctional”.

A court has, however, barred police officers from joining the strike. Officers who went on strike could be fired, police said.

A previous court injunction ordered the unions to keep essential services going. Workers want an 8.6 per cent pay rise, and are angry the government offered 7 per cent.

The protesters have been angered by recent newspaper stories of corruption and lavish spending by ministers.

The government says it cannot afford to deliver wage increases that amount to twice the rate of inflation.

Despite the threat to strike, police officers were monitoring the protesters in Johannesburg in case of any trouble.

The police have previously been involved in violent clashes with some strikers and have fired rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas at the protesters.

Last weekend, another court ordered the unions not to disrupt emergency services.

Military doctors have been deployed around the country to keep hospitals open, but the South African Security Forces Union has asked the government to resolve the dispute quickly, saying that the military should not be used for substitute labour.